1956 Rifaat Bilingual Pictorial Map of Iraq

A colorful c. 1956 bilingual pictorial map of Iraq prepared by Abdul Karim Rifaat for the Development Board and Ministry of Development. The map appeared during a period of progressive development fueled by oil wealth. However, it also predates, by just two years, the major political and social upheavals leading up to the 1958 Iraqi Military Coup.

A Closer Look

Covering the entire country, then a Hashemite kingdom, the map presents a range of illustrations depicting important historical, cultural, natural, and economic sites, the latter being a focus for the Development Board. These are labeled throughout (with a few exceptions) in Arabic and English, as are cities and towns, railways, pipelines, rivers, and other features. Ancient sites and statistics about contemporary Iraq are listed, along with other information under the title.

Some of the infrastructure projects seen here were under consideration or construction. One such project, the Bakhma [Bekhme] Dam (سد بخمة) in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, was initially planned in the 1950s but remains uncompleted, despite partial progress in the 1970s - early 1990s. An inset map at the bottom-left presents the country without illustrations, emphasizing administrative divisions, roads, railways, and other related information.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn and prepared by Abdul Karim Rifaat (عبد الكريم رفعت) around the year 1956 for the country's Development Board and Ministry of Development (مجلس الإعمار - وزارة الإعمار). It is based on a slightly earlier (1955) map by Rifaat for the Development board (published in both English and Arabic editions) titled 'Illustrated Map of Iraq for Development Projects', which lacks the illustrated vignettes here, despite its title. There are two other printings of the map: one identical to the present but with publication information for 'Survey Press' added in the bottom margin, and the other being identical but uncolored. This map appears to have been part of a series (including an archeological map, road map, and railway map) put out by the Development Board using the same 'base map' onto which different features were added. Due to these complications and the lack of a date, it is difficult to establish a comprehensive census, but, in total, it is held by about a dozen institutions in the OCLC.